Next year sees the end of production of the Mclaren SLR and also signals the end of the the collaboration between Mercedes and Mclaren as each will create their own successor. We have already seen Mercedes testing its protoypes which is said to be labelled as the SLC, but Mclaren have been a little more secretive.

The Mclaren project codenamed P11 will reportedly hit showrooms in March 2010 as a coupe – that's less than 2 years away meaning we are likely to see its unveiling in a little over a year, a spider version should follow a year later. The new mid-engined car will directly compete with the Ferrari F430 although the McLaren will be lighter and more compact. Power is said to come courtesy of a 550bhp V8 engine which sources at autocar say it will be built by Mahle in Northamptonshire, England. The engine is likely to be based on an the existing Mercedes unit.

The P11 project will then provide the base for a more hardcore version which will be a successor to the legendary Mclaren F1 supercar, codenamed P12. According to leaked documents power will come from a 600bhp V10 engine.